Cigarette-case.



B. G. HACKETT.

CIGARETTE CASE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 3. 1.916..

7 Patented Aug. 21,1917.

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BERT. Gr. EACKETT, F PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO METAL PRODUCTS GQEPURATION, OF PRDVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, A CORPORATION OF RHODE ISLAND.

CIGARETTE-CASE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 21, 191W.

Application filed. July 3, 1916. Serial No. 107,213.

To all whom it may concern i Be it known that l, BERT G. HAGKETT, of

' the city and county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cigarette- Uases; and I do hereby declare the following specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same, to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

The invention relates primarily to a case for holding cigarettes, but it is adapted for use in cases for holding other similar-shaped articles, such as medicine bottles and the like.

The principal object of the invention 1s to provide the case with a holder for the cigarettes, which, when the case is open, Wlll present the cigarettes in such a manner that they will be easy'of access and readily removable endwise without any liability of 1n- .l 'yr A further object of the invention is to provide means for normally retaining the members of the holder in open position, so that the cigarettes can be easily and-quickly placed within one member of the holder, and means for automatically locating the members of the holder in closed position when the lids of the case are closed.

A further object of the invention isto provide the case-with means for supporting the holder in central position between the lids of the case when open.

To these ends the invention consists in the I novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and more particularly set forth in the claims. In describing the invention in detail reference will be made to the accompanying drawings in which-- Figure 1 is a plan view showing the easing and holder in open position and a plurality o'fcigarettes in position in one of the holder-members Fig. 2 is a central transverse sectional view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a central sectionalview showing the casing and holder in closed position.

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the casing in open position and the holder in closed position.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged scale view showing the hinge construction, parts being in sec- 5 formed integral with or secured to the opposite lids.

The broad feature of novelty in my invention-consists in providing a two part holder adapted to be opened and held open to permit the insertion of the cigarettes, and to be closed and held closed to retain and carry them in readiness for individualabstraction. This end may be accomplished in various ways, but I prefer to have, iii-addition, the feature of central presentation of the holder when the case is opened. To this end my preferred construction is as follows he holder for the-cigarettes comprises two side-members 6 and 7, both of which are provided with oppositely disposed flutes 8 and 9. Their lower portions are turned inwardly at 10 as shown in Fig. 4 to form a bottom to the holder and the upper portion of the holder is left open to permit the removal of the cigarettes from said holder. Extending from the bottom of the holder downwardly are a series of projections 12 which are provided at their free ends with eyes 13 through which the hinge-pintle 3 passes. 'The side-member 6 is provided with a catch 14: arranged and adapted to engage an opening 15 in the side-member 7.

The hinge-pintle 3 is provided atone end witha longitudinal groove or channel 16 and at the opposite end with a similar groove 16 as shown in Fig. 5. Mounted in the groove 16 is a torsional spring-member 17 having one end bent at right angles to the body portion and extending through a slot 19 111 the eye-member 5 of the lid 2, and the other end 20 bent at right angles to the body portion and to the opposite end 18 and projecting through a slot 21 in the eye-member 13 of the side-member 6.

Mounted in the roove 16 is a torsional spring-member 17 aving one end 18 bent at right angles to the body-portion and projecting through a slot .19 formed in the eye-member 4 of the lid 1, and the other end 20 bent at right angles to the bodyportion and to the opposite end 18 and projecting through a slot 21 formed in the eye-member 13 of the side-member 7, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5. The lid, l is provided with a catch 22 arranged to cooperate with a catch-member 23 upon the lid 2 for holding the lids in closed position.

With the above construction it will be seen that the torsional springs 17 and 17" are constantly acting to retain both lids l and 2 and the side-me1nbers 6 and 7 in their open positions, with the side-members resting flat against the inner surfaces of the lids, as shown in Fig. 1. With the parts in this position, it will be seen that both hands can be used in manipulating the cigarettes so as to place them in one of the sidemembers as shown in said Fig. l.

With the parts in this position and the side-member 6 filled with cigarettes, it will be seen that the closing of the lids l and 2 together will likewise close the side-members 6 and 7 and the catch it upon the sidemember 6is so constructed and arranged as to engage the slot 15 and lock the sidemembers 6 and 7 together in closed position catch-member 14 is simply disengaged from the side-member 7, whereupon the side-memhere 6 and 7 will spring back against the inner surfaces of the lids 1 and 2 and into a position where the cigarettes can be easily and quickly inserted without liability of injury to the cigarettes, which frequently happens when the cigarettes are inserted into the open end of a holder normally held in closed position.

It Will be understood that I do not wish to limit myself to the precise construction shown and described, as changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a. case of the character described, the combination with a pair of hinged lids, of a holder comprising a pair of side members pivotally mounted between said lids, means for separating said members and retaining them fiat against the insides of the lids to receive cigarettes, and means for locking said members closed to retain the cigarettes.

2. An article of the character described, comprising a pair of hinged lids, a holder formed of two pivoted side-members mounted between said lids, flexible means acting to retain said' side-members in open position, and means for holding said'side-memhers in closed position.

3. An article of the character described, comprising a pair of hinged lids, a holder formed of two pivoted side-members mounted between said lids, and springs acting to open the lids and side-members and to centralize the holder when in closed position, and means for locking the side-members in closed position.

4. An article of the character described, comprising a pair of hinged lids, a holder formed of two pivoted side-members mounted between said lids, means for locking said side-members in closed position, and springs interposed between each side-member and the opposite lid and acting to hold said side members in open position.

5. An article of the character described, comprising a pair of hinged lids, a holder formed of two pivoted side-members mounted between said lids, springs interposed between each side-member and the opposite lid and acting to hold said side-members in open position, and means for automati cally locking said side-n1en1bers in closed position when the lids are moved to closed position.

6. An article of the character described, comprising a pair of lids provided with a series of hinge-eyes, a slot in one eye of each lid, a holder formed of two side-members each provided with a standard and a hinge-eye upon the tree end thereof, a slot in said hinge-eyes, a hinge-pintle mounted. in all of said hinge-eyes and having a longitudinal groove at each end, and a torsional spring mounted in each of said grooves, one end of each. of said springs being bent at right angles to the body-portion and extending through the slot in said hinge-eye and the other end being bent at right angles to the body-portion and to the opposite end and extending through the slot in the opposite side-member hinge-eye.

BERT G. HACKETT. \Vitnesses W. H. THURSTON, J. H. THUnsroN.

copies 01' this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C. 

